By Morenika Taire

There is the notion- and it remains pervasive- that women do a better job at everything than men do.

While there is not nearly enough evidence to prove this, there is at least enough to show women have indeed done as well as men in virtually every field of endeavor except sports. In management, women are even believed to be better than men. As far back as the 1900s, studies have shown women to be more suited to “modern” jobs that do not require “brawn”. More recent studies support these findings.

The reason for this is not far-fetched. Women of every culture across the world are charged with the responsibility of keeping house and kitchen from very young ages, cooking, cleaning and caring for younger ones at under back breaking and limiting conditions.

But beliefs are changing fast. It is becoming clearer that nurture rather than nature is responsible for women’s superior management abilities. Having to do so much with such little money and other resources including time so many times from a young age might be responsible for adult women’s superior ability to manage money better than her male counterparts as to display the ability to juggle so many activities. People management skills often come in here.

While it is unlikely that it is the ‘nature’ of women to manage better or that it is coded in women’s DNA for her to have nurturing feelings, these skills are no less of importance whether in the home or without, and it is the unfortunate nation that fails to use these skills, even in its governance.

Here, understanding that the environment rather than nature is responsible for these skills is crucial not only to the understanding of evolving women’s role in society, and how to better hone them in the future. The implication is that as the environment changes, so do the skills and the gender roles that both develop and benefit from them. It is also important to understand in the first place that these roles change.

Arianna Huffington, the billionaire media entrepreneur in a recent talk to young girls in South Africa virtually dismantled the myth of women as natural multi-taskers, boldly naming multi-tasking as the singular greatest enemy of success. The ability to multitask in our already chaotic world is, after all, not the best thing ever to happen to women.

Other dismantling myths include those of women being naturally soft-hearted (an armed robbery gang was recently rounded up which was led by a female university of Lagos graduate), and being naturally good managers of money, and of women being more honest than men.

It’s been only a matter of time. If indeed nurture rather than nature is responsible for behavior in later life even for women, it stands to reason that a pervasively corrupt society would produce pervasively corrupt adults. It is the bitter lesson we have learnt in this civilian dispensation- that putting women in positions of power and with access to vast amounts of cash is not the guarantee that the money will be managed or well spent, or that it will guarantee equitable or fair distribution of wealth. While we have had our own fair share of women in politics, we have not have that much luck with them in terms of honestly, transparency and fairplay.

The ongoing Stellagate scandal has been tagged witch-hunting, and while there is much evidence to the fact that many of the allegations leveled against her actually have their basis in truth, there is also cause to wonder if women in government have not had more than their fair share of allegations of graft, considering that we know what men in government actually get up to.

Timeline

*Mobolaji Osomo

Tuesday April 5th, 2005

Barely two weeks after the N55 million bribery scandal which rocked the executive and legislative arms of government, President Olusegun Obasanjo has again uncovered another deal that runs contrary to the transparency posture of the present administration.

Housing and Urban Development Minister, Mobolaji Osomo, was fired on Monday in the gale of public sector cleansing that swept off the job of another minister two weeks ago and has put those of Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, and some other lawmakers on the line.

She was sacked for the “embarrassing” way she handled the sale of government property in the posh enclave of Ikoyi, Lagos.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Ufot Ekaette, said in a statement in Abuja that Osomo conducted the sale in violation of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) decision and the repeated directives from President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The statement said Obasanjo regrets the embarrassment caused those whose names appeared on the list of allottees without any solicitation on their part or despite their having rejected the offer made by Osomo.

“The minister will show that all those denying on the pages of newspapers are lying”, said an Osomo aide who requested anonymity.

“The way we understand it is that it was a FEC decision and most of the ministers, governors, National Assembly leaders and other government functionaries not only applied, they gave notes through their protocol officers and sometimes, personally came here to beg for the houses to be allocated to them.

Even as the Presidency is blaming all of the scam on Osomo, Aso Rock is not sleeping easy as various camps emerge to defend their positions.

According to BBC Alice Mobolaji Osomo, a Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor, Ondo State born Director, NICON Insurance Corporation was sacked after more than 200 properties were allocated to top officials rather than going on public sale.

Obasanjo in a strongly worded letter to Osomo noted that “I must express my great displeasure, in very clear terms, about the way you seem to be handling the sale of Federal Government property in Lagos.

Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili specifically requested for an unreserved apology from Osomo because of the embarrassment caused her. The Director-General of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) admitted to have written in line with due process for the acquisition of property in Ikoyi and that it was based on her letter she was allocated one.

The Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala denied ever paying for any property owned by the Federal Government in Lagos.

*Ndidi Okereke Onyuike

Aug 05, 2010

After 10 years at the helms of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke was yesterday unceremoniously removed as director general of the Exchange. Her removal was at the instance of stockbrokers who yesterday submitted a joint position to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) demanding an immediate change in leadership.

In deference to the stance of the stockbrokers, SEC yesterday asked the Council of the Exchange to fire Okereke-Onyiuke promptly in public interest failing which it would take the action directly. All members of NSE’s Council, including Aliko Dangote whose election as president of the Exchange was still mired in litigation were asked to step down.

“The affairs of the Exchange are managed by an Interim Administrator appointed by the Commission pending the selection of a new Director General”, the statement signed by Arunma Oteh, director general of SEC, stated “Given the gravity of the allegations around financial mismanagement of the Exchange, the Commission has also directed the conduct of an independent investigation into the allegations,” SEC said. It is the climax of the crisis that had engulfed the Exchange starting from her infamous fund raising frolic for current US President Barack Obama which was vigorously denounced by Obama’s campaign team and Nigerians as a scam.

Her removal came after intense pressure on the leadership of SEC, who were challenged by stakeholders in the capital market, to back its rhetoric with action, as more revelations emerge about an orchestrated deception in an executive succession process and alleged financial infraction by the management of the NSE.

Immediate past director general of SEC, Musa Al-Faki, was forced to resign and long term African Development Bank (AfDB) senior executive, Arunma Oteh, was appointed to replace him. She has gone on record promising to be bullish about regulating the capital market and changing SEC’s old ways.

*Adenike Grange

March, 2008

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua today fired the Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange and her deputy, Gabriel Aduku who is the junior Minister in the Ministry over financial mismanagement.

Both ministers tendered their resignation this morning. According to a source in the Presidency they were asked to resign. “Both individuals were asked to resign as a result of investigations into the financial affairs of the ministry.” The source said.

It will be recalled that Grange was arrested and interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the instance of President Yar’Adua over the handling of unspent funds in the 2007 budget and award of contracts by her ministry.

Grange had claimed that she acted on advice from top directors of the Ministry of health. She was released while investigation continued into the ministry’s financial activities.

Her sack today is a culmination of three-week investigation ordered by the President

*Arume Oteh

20 July 2012

Abuja –   The House of Representatives has adopted the recommendation that the Director-General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh should be sacked.

The Ad-hoc Committee of the House investigating the near collapse of the capital market had recommended that Oteh be sacked.

The adoption followed the submission of the Ibrahim El- Sudi-led   ad-hoc committee’s report.The lawmakers said that her appointment was in violation of Section 3 ( 2 ) a and Section 38 ( 1 ) ( b ), 2 and 3, Section 315 of the investment and Security Act, 2007 in that she did not have 15 years experience in the Nigerian Capital Market as required.

Similarly, the House also urged the EFCC to investigate   Oteh and the Managing Director of Union Bank   Plc.,   Mrs Funke Osibodu over the missing N8 billion arising from the Union.